CANNELTON, Ind. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana Girl Scout died when a tree fell on her at Camp Koch.
Indiana State Police have identified the girl as 11-year-old Isabelle Meyer from Jasper.
A 10-year-old girl from Boonville suffered minor injuries. Melinda Garman of Mount Vernon and Judy Kicklighter of Evansville, were also injured. Officials said both adults had serious injuries but appear to be stable.
All four were on a gravel trail when the 40-foot tree fell and pinned them underneath around 11:30 a.m. Monday. Emergency officials say the ground was saturated from weeks of rain, and it was raining, when first responders arrived at the scene.
The tree was on a very steep incline, according to Perry County Sheriff Alan Malone who said the tree appeared to have uprooted. But he added that he has no idea what caused the tree to fall. "I wish I could tell you."
In this March 28, 2016 photo, Isabelle Meyer of Jasper, Ind. adds hand sanitizer to gift bags for chemotherapy patients during a meeting of Girl Scout Troop 670 in Cannelton, Ind. Isabelle, 11, was killed Monday, June 24, 2019, when a tree fell on her and three others during a Girl Scout camp at Camp Koch near Cannelton, Ind. (Sarah Ann Jump/The Herald via AP)
Camp Koch is on the Ohio River about half way between Louisville and Evansville, Indiana. The girl was part of a camping trip with the Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana, when she was killed. "They were there to have a good time," said Malone.
The sheriff was emotional as he talked about the investigation into what he called a "freak accident." Malone said, " I hate it. Especially for Isabelle, but I hate it for the whole Girl Scouts. We got the Hoosier National Forest here. This is camping haven here in Perry County. What can I say to parents? Watch your children. Do the best you can. You can't be there for them all the time, but you can be there for them."
Malone praised the staff of Camp Koch and the Girl Scout organization that called parents, asked that children be picked up and closed the camp. "They have closed the camp for right now. For how long? I don't know. They felt like in memory of the victims, in memory of the person that died, they felt like they needed to close the camp yesterday," he said.
"We had an amazing response yesterday, and unfortunately, a girl died. We prepare for this, but it's never easy," Malone explained.
"We prepare for everything, but when you roll up on a scene, it's hard. It's tough -- especially when there's a child involved."
"I know Perry County will stand tall and help these families in any way we can," said Malone.
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